Computing devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, mobile phones, smartphones, wearable devices, tablet devices and portable multimedia players are popular. These computing devices can be used for performing a wide variety of tasks, from the simple to the most complex.
In some instances, computing devices can communicate wirelessly over wireless networks. For example, computing devices can communicate over wireless networks based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards, also referred to as “WiFi”. The standards (including 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g) define frequency, modulation, data rates, and message formats for communicating information between devices. In general, in an 802.11 compliant wireless network (also referred to as a “WiFi network”), there is a designated “access point,” often with a wired connection to the Internet, that manages the WiFi network. Among other operations, the access point can route messages between networked client devices. Computing devices can communicate wirelessly over other communication standards as well. For example, computing devices can use the IEEE 802.15 standards, such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), ZigBee, etc. Bluetooth can allow for computing devices to communicate wirelessly through the use of low-power, short-range radios. As a result, Bluetooth can be limited to communications between devices that are physically located within a short distance from each other. Furthermore, the number of devices that can be paired with a Bluetooth connection can be limited, and communications between the devices can be slow.
Certain activities performed by a user carrying a wireless device can exceed the limitations of Bluetooth capabilities when connected to another wireless device. For example, the user can relocate to a distance far away from the other wireless device, the user can step outside, or the wireless device can lose power. Pairing a wireless device carried by the user, such as a wearable device, to another wireless device, such as a cellular phone, through Bluetooth under the circumstances described above can make the wireless connectivity impractical or unachievable and thus can limit the usability of the communication between multiple wireless devices.